Video: 3D camera enhancements

After Effect CS5 also includes a few small but nice improvements in how you handle 3D cameras. I am going to double-click my camera to open up my Camera Settings dialog, drag it down here out of sight a little bit. And the first thing you might notice is this Preview checkbox. Basically this means that changes in this dialog are finally live. You'll see the results straight in the Comp panel. So if I go ahead and choose a different camera preset like 35mm, or 50, or 28, I'll immediately see the results right here in the Comp panel without having to close the dialog first.

After Effects CS5 New Creative Techniques was created and produced by Trish and Chris Meyer. We are honored to host their material in the lynda.com Online Training Library®.

Chris and Trish Meyer have been using After Effects since version 1.0 and have written ten books about the program, and they are always among the first to dive into each new version and discover what it offers to their fellow motion graphics artists. Chris takes you under the hood and explains how each new feature works in After Effects CS5. This course covers both the technical and creative implications of this latest release, including tutorials on the new Roto Brush tool and mocha version 2, blending modes, text options, and new and improved user interface elements in Adobe After Effects CS5. Numerous examples show the most efficient ways to use the new features and avoid potential pitfalls when applying techniques. Chris ends with a discussion of which users will get them most out of upgrading to After Effects CS5.

3D camera enhancements

After Effect CS5 also includes a few small but nice improvements in howyou handle 3D cameras.I am going to double-click my camera to open up my Camera Settings dialog, dragit down here out of sight a little bit.And the first thing you might notice is this Preview checkbox.Basically this means that changes in this dialog are finally live.You'll see the results straight in the Comp panel.So if I go ahead and choose a different camera preset like 35mm, or 50, or 28,I'll immediately see the results right here in the Comp panel without having toclose the dialog first.

I can even scrub the Zoom value which is tied into Angle Of View, and see the results.The other thing that they have done is they've moved the camera type, One Nodeor Two Node, whether or not you have a point of interest basically, directlyinto the Camera Settings dialog.You no longer need to into the Auto- Orient dialog to choose whether or not youhave a One Node camera, when you are doing everything from the camera back, orTwo Node where you have a point of interest you are looking at.So that's a couple of little things there.Next, I want to press to C to select the Unified Camera tool.It's the one that looks like a Camera icon.

When I am in this mode, using the left-mouse button orbits, using themiddle-mouse button moves in the X-Y dimension, and using the right-mousebutton zooms in and out.This is not new to CS5 but but I wanted to remind you that it was there.The other thing they have done is they've created a few nice keyboard shortcutsfor what used to be menu commands.For example, if I go ahead and select just the drum kit off to the right, andpress the F key, the camera will now move to look at the selected layer.

If I select more than one layer, so just the bongo and guitar player both offto the left, and press F, the camera will now move to center and look at those objects.This was available as a View menu command, Look at Selected Layers, and they hadprobably the most indecipherable keyboard shortcut possible. But now F does it.Here is also a menu command for Look at All Layers and again here is a keyboard shortcut.Well, Command and Shift on Mac or Ctrl+ Shift in Windows and press F and now itwill change the camera's position to look at all the layers.

So that's a couple convenient keyboard shortcuts.

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